Saturday to occupy the mind

Friday was amazing simply because of a 5 minute interval on the way home for lunch.  I was stopped by two police officers. 

Both police officers told me to pull over farther up the road as The Ride for Missing Children cyclists would be passing by, all 500 PLUS of them! 

I sat there with the top down on “sporty” as they rode past.  They yelled at me “Nice Wheels!”  I yelled back “Yours too”.  As more compliments on the car were expressed, I tossed waves, the occasional “Have a Great Ride!”, and many, MANY thumbs up. 

It was about 80 degrees when the group rode past and it was just 12 pm.  They had quite a few more hours to ride.  The police vehicles I saw in front of them were about 6 and then there were 2 behind (see the cop on the motorcycle to the right in the pic? ).  There were fire trucks and ambulance and vans…quite the motor arcade was tailing behind the cyclists.  Hopefully next year Ted and I will be in it.

Friday night at Chesterfields:

What a perfect night. We had to eat at a restaurant that offered outside dining. The closest place to home was Chesterfields. 

It was warm but comfortable. It was early and we were immediately seated with a server at our side.

Two favorites:  The wine and the bread.

I had the Sebastini Cabernet Sauvignon and Ted had an Italian, more earthy wine (forgot the name).  We both liked mine better.  One glass limit tonight since alcohol is a no-no before running.   The bread however was a definite yes-yes.  We asked for it without all the butter and garlic.  The waitress served the bread with a marinara dipping sauce and grated cheese on the side.

We both enjoyed the crisp, cool garden salad with oil and vinegar.  Crumbly blue topping which I asked for on the side but they didn’t quite grasp that request.  Oh well.

Ted had the Chicken Salvatore which was basking in a sweet-savory rich sauce, topped with a melted blue cheese crust.  The side was broccoli risotto.

I had the sesame encrusted tuna in a chile sauce reduction. It was peppery with a sweet finish.  The tuna, although recommended served rare, was done medium and more to my liking.  It was moist, fresh, and certainly not lacking in flavor.

My side was plain pasta, simply topped with grated Parmesan cheese.  I found a surprise angel hair in my ziti.  Was the cook a blonde?!!!!   😉

I wouldn’t normally order pasta however when I run a longer race on the weekend, I think it’s the safe, smart thing to do.  All the books say “carbo-loading” and that’s what I do on day 3-2-1 before a race.

There were two draw backs to Friday night’s meal. 

The first was that we had three flies that would not leave us alone.  We were really hoping that someone else would order food nearby so those darned flies would go somewhere else to eat …or ….whatever flies do which I’d rather not think about .  Anyone else see the movie “The Fly” with Jeff Goldblum?

The second was that it was too hot to have the wonderful Chesterfields coffee. 

We decided to go to Barnes and Noble and peruse the aisles while sipping our favorite Starbucks java.    Another good night of eats in Utica. 

Saturday:

It doesn’t look like a bad day out there.  Ted and I have big plans for the day. 

First, I took Shane for a 4 1/4 mile walk and we stopped to play ball in the soccer field. While walking along, I found $11.00 in the road.  I HATE finding money.  It makes me feel bad for the person who dropped it.  There was absolutely no one in sight so the cash must have been dropped the night before.  I put it in my pocket and hoped that it was a sign of good luck and not bad. 

Second, after Ted returned from riding his bike to meet friends for breakfast,  we pick up my race packet for tomorrow’s Half Marathon.  People tell me the course is flat.  I just hope the course is entertaining. Flat can be just as unbearably boring as hilly can be unbearably challenging.

Third, we meet up with the CNY PCA group for a tour around F.X. Matt Brewery.

Our local brewing company was founded in 1888 and is run today by 3rd and 4th generation Matt family members.  When I first moved to Utica in 9th grade, Peter Matt was the poor dude assigned to show me the ropes on my first day.  Not sure if Peter is involved directly with the brewery or not nowadays.

After the brewery tour, tasting (bummer- I can’t!…well, maybe a sip?), shopping in the gift shop, we will visit the private ROSENBLUM COLLECTION. 

This is a collection of 80 –100 prestigious automobiles.  The viewing is by invitation only and we are really excited to see Alan Rosenblum’s collection.  Alan, by the way, is the founder of Granny’s Kitchen’s in Frankfort, NY. I run past the facility often on my weekend runs and just LOVE the aroma when they are baking the donuts. I drive past it every weekday on my way to work.

We are eating lunch at Piggy Pat’s BBQ and they promise to have vegetarian options.  We shall see!

Expect photos of beer, cars, and “piggy” eats later.  Of course you realize, that’s pseudo “pig” for me.

UPDATE!!!! Remember I told you I had won a years worth of Eggland’s Best Eggs?  Well here is a link to all the winners and the great recipes that won.  Here’s mine: Apple Butter Custard.  Please take a look – THANKS 🙂

Joanne